Paneled wall structure



May 2, 1950 A. w. MADGER PANELED WALL STRUCTURE Original Filed Nov. 25, 1944 e w w k w A f 2 m 3 6 M1. m1, 4 M5 & 4h 2 1 1 1W 2 31 J 5 o a m G 8.. I E m m a, 1 1 3 3 Q 1 6 5 1.7/F 6 1 W $9 g9 flETHI/ E W 1 M19 DcaE Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Divided and this application November 20, 1345, Serial No. 629,784.. In Great Britain November 29, 1943 i This invention relates to improvements in or relating to panel units for wall building, and wall structures embodying such panel units, and has for its object to simplify and expedite the building of walls and structures from preformed panel units and posts or other vertical panel-supporting elements.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 565,118, filed November 25, 1944.

The primary object of the invention is to enable panel units to be brought into position from opposite lateral directions so as to bear on mutuallyopposite sides of posts or other panel-supporting members, and to interlock said panel units with each other in such a manner that they are securely maintained in their said positions of abutment with said panel-supporting means.

With the above objects in view, the invention resides in a method of wall building which consists in erecting vertical panel-supporting elements in spaced-apart relation, bringing consecutive panel units of a vertical set into position from opposite lateral directions so that in the assembled structure alternate panel units bear on the same faces of the panel-supporting members whilst the remaining intermediate panel units bear on opposite faces of said panel-supporting members, and interlocking the panel units to retain them in their said positions.

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view showing panel units of one form in engagement with supporting posts.

Figure 2 is an end view of one of the panel units shown in Figure 1, engaged with upper and lower panels.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view showing panel units in cruciform relation engaged with a common supporting post.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the manner of securing, panel units at the ton and bottom of a vertical set of same.

Figu-e 5 is an elevation of a panel unit of another form.

Figure 6 is a sectional plan view showing panel units according to Figure 5 in engagement with supporting posts.

Figure 'l is an end view of a panel unit according, to Figure 5 engaged with a panel unit next above it.

Figure 8 is a view corresponding to Figure 6 but showing a panel unit having similar postabutting flanges at both ends.

Figure 9 is an end view of a vertical assembly of panelunits which are of .modifled shape at top and bottom for abutment with each other.

.and

Figure 10 is'a fragmentary elevation of an assembly of panel units according to Figures 1 and 2 in engagement with supporting posts.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 of the draw ings, these are a plan and an end view of a panel unit constructed according to one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 also showing the supporting posts in cross section, and Figure 2 showing portions of adjacent panel units. The panel unit 11 is formed at the top with a rib l2 having inclined sides and accordingly being of inverted V-formation. At the bottom, the panel unit. is formed with a corresponding inverted V-shaped groove, l3 which is complementary to the rib 12 of the panel unit next below, suchengagement providing 'for interlock of the mutually adjacent panel units. The said rib i2 and groove l3 do not extend to the outer faces of the panel unit but are arranged to leave marginal horizontal coplanar seating portions It on the respective sides of said rib and groove. The rib and complementary groove may have any cross-sectional shape or form other than that shown; for instance, (a) the rib may reach to the outer face of the panel unit so as to omit the seating portions I4, (b) the rib may have a flattened top, (c) the rib may be of arcuate section, or (d) the rib may have parallel vertical sides. Reference 4 denotes a V -groove formed in one end of the panel unit for engaging a post 5, and reference 6 denotes a flange for bedding on to another post 51:. Alternate panel units are arranged, and the intervening units are reversed end-for-end (Fig. 10) so that the grooves of said intervening units engage post So, and their flanges 6 bed on to post 5, consecutive panel units being brought into position from opposite lateral directions. The chamfer l5 of the post provides clearance for s inging the panel units into position.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a panel unit of anothe form, Figure 5 being a front elevation, Figure 6 a plan view which also shows supporting posts for the panel units, and Figure 7 an end view showing two panel units interengaged.

5 The panel unit shown has stepped top and bottom edges I, 2 with inclined riser portions 3. Reference 4 indicates a V-groove formed in one end of they panel unit for engaging on post 5. and reference 6 indicates a flange for the bedding on the other post So.

' sequently filled (see Figure 10) unless the wall 'is to be'covered with facing material. All panel -1units are of identical form, consecutive panel units simply being reversed end-for-end sothat 3. their V-grooves engage the different posts. If, additionally, alternate panel units are inverted, then all V-grooves can engage the same post.

For the carrying of one wall at an angle to and with another wall and for cruciform joints where three or four'wall sections meet one another, panel units of either of the above described forms can be used providing that posts of suflicient thickness are used to prevent the cheeks of vgrooves of diiferent wall sections obstructing one another at the junction in the case where panel units having V-grooves are used. Figure 3 is a plan view of a cruciform joint at which there is provided a post 5 having diagonal dimensions exceeding the thickness of the panel units in order to attain this result.

Figure 8, which is a plan view, shows how Figure 6 can be modified by providing a flange 6 at each end, and Figure 9 shows how Figure '1 can be modified for interlock of panel units by sloping the upper and lower edges i and 2 of the panel units throughout their thickness.

Figure 4, which is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through a wall built from the panel units, shows by way of example a ribbed bar l6 secured to the floor for locating the lowermost panel unit II, and a top retaining member composed of two halves I1 secured together and shaped so that coniointly they form a groove for locating the uppermost panel unit H.

.The interengagement of panels by a rib or equivalent salient formation on one with a groove of anot er as shown in Figure 2, gives a locking effect resistin lateral displacement of a panel in both directions with respect to an adjacent panel as contrasted with interengagement by rabbetted or inclined edges giving mutual overlap, which resist displacement in one direction only. In many cases it is no defect that the panel interengagement means resists displacement in one direction only, since means provided on the panels for abutting the costs or like supporting means resist displacement in the other directions.

The panel units and posts or the like can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials and the panel units may be solid or of hollow form.

arate looking or securing means and the inven-' tion provides for easy and rapid erection of a structure.

As an alternative to chamfering the posts 5 and 5a to provide clearance for swinging the panel units into position, the edge of the panel unit which defines one side of the gap I may he sloped off for the same purpose.

The essential characteristic feature of the invention is that adjacent panel units bear on opposite faces of the posts 5, 5a, and by the interlock device by which they engage one another the panel units are securely held in such positions abutting opposite faces of the posts; Each panel unit, after being brought into position from a lateral direction, is simply allowed to drop slight- 1y to interlock it with the next lower panel unit.

If a panel unit has a V-groove 4 at one end as in Figures 1 and 6, then in erecting the panel unit said grove is brought up against a post and the latter is used as a fulcrum enabling the panel unit to be swung into place until its flange 6 at the other end comes to bear against the distant post. The shoulder 6 at the one end corresponds to one cheek of the opposite grooved end and therefore is contained in one half the thickness of the panel unit, the panel units which are brought into place from the opposite directions all coming into the same plane.

I claim:

1. A building wall structure, comprising in combination, vertical spaced apart panel supporting member, panel units engaging said supporting members, a flange at each lateral end of said panel units, each flange having a thiclmess of one-half the thickness of the panel unit and being wholly disposed on one side of a plane bisecting the thickness of the panel unit and having a surface constituting a part of the face of greater length, said flanges bearing upon one side of said vertical spaced-apart panel supporting members, upper interlock formations at the top and lower interlock formations at the bottom of each panel unit and each cooperating respectively with complement-ary interlock formations at the bottom of an upper similar panel unit or with complementary interlock formations at the top of a lower similar panel unit, adjacent upper and lower panel units having their lateral ends reversed to dispose the flanges of said upper and lower panel 'units on the opposite side of the-said supporting members, said upper interlock formations being the reverse of and complementary to said lower interlock formations whereby in a vertical row of said panel units the flanges thereof alternately are held by said interlock formations to engage opposite side's'of the supporting members.

2. A wall structure comprising a pair of panelsupporting members erected in spaced-apart relation and a plurality of panel units assembled in the space between said panel-supporting members, one half of each panel unit being of such length as to be capable of passing laterally into position between the suporting members and having end flanges adapted to bear against the supporting means and which give the panel unit a greatest length dimension at one face, the panel unit having interlock formations at top and bottom, alternate panel units bearing against opposite sides of the supporting means and being retained in such positions by the interlocking of adjacent panel units.

3. A wall structure comprising a pair of panelsupporting members erected in spaced-apart relation, and a plurality of panel units assembled in the space' between said panel-supporting members, each panel unit being formed with flanges of half of its thickness projecting from its ends, and having another half of such length that said other half can be passed between the supporting members to allow the panel unit to be brought into place from a lateral direction, the said flanges bearing against the panel-supporting members and the disposition of the panels being such that alternate panel units bear against the same sides of the supporting members while the remaining alternate panel units bear against the opposite sides of said supporting members, each panel unit being formed with means to afford interlock with adjacent upper and lower panel units. such interlock serving to maintain mutually-opposed contiguous panel units seating against the panelsupporting members.

4. A panel unit according to claim 1, wherein the flange at one end of the panel unit forms one cheek of a vertical groove provided in the said end of the panel unit.

5. A wall structure according to claim 3, where-t in one of the flanges of each panel unit forms one cheek of a vertical groove provided in one end of 5 said panel unit, said groove embracing a salient portion of the adjacent supporting member and being adapted by turning about said supporting member to utilise same as a fulcrum to enable the panel unit to be swung into position.

6. A wall structure according to claim 3, wherein one of the flanges of each panel unit forms one check of a V-section vertical groove provided in one end of said panel unit, said groove embracing a substantially V-shaped salient portion of the adjacent supporting member and oeing adapted by turning about said supporting member to utilise same as a fulcrum to enable the panel unit to be swung into position, the other supporting member having a correspondingly shaped salient portion, the remaining flange of each panel unit being sloped to bed intimately upon the supporting member adjacent thereto.

7. A wall structure according to claim 3, wherein one of the flanges of each panel unit forms one check of a vertical groove provided in one end of said panel unit, such grooves of alternate panel units embracing a salient portion of one particular supporting member and the said grooves of the remaining alternate panel units embracing a salient portion of the other supporting member, each groove being adapted by turning about the adjacent supporting member to utilise same as a. fulcrum to enable the panel unit to be swung into position.

8. A panel unit according to claim 1, wherein the interlock formations at the top and bottom of the panel unit slope in opposite directions, thereby giving the panel unit a greatest depth dimension at one face, said panel unit having a greatest length dimension at its opposite face.

9. A panel unit according to claim 1, wherein each interlock formation at top and bottom thereof comprises horizontal side portions disposed at different elevations and a sloping centre portion which connects said side portions, the panel unit thus formed having a greatest depth dimension at one face and having a greatest length dimension at its other face.

ARTHUR WAKEFIELD MADGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain 1921 

